Bornem Triple

Brewed by Brouwerij Van Steenberge
Style: Abbey Tripel
Ertvelde, Belgium

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip

Bottle. Pours a smallish, frothy white head and a clear, brilliant golden body. Malty aroma of grain and hay with some bread. Doughy yeast component and herbal, grassy hops. Light alcohol on the nose. The flavor was dominated by the sweet malt with some light bitterness and quite a bit of booze. Enough alcohol flavor to seriously detract from my enjoyment of the beer. Piraat and Gulden Draak did a much better job hiding the alcohol and they had 1.5% more. Overall a pretty raw and mediocre triple.

Bottle. This beer pours a very pale, transparent yellow in the glass with a large, thick, foaming white head. The carbonation is medium. In the aroma I smell lemon, doughy bread with butter, lime, alcohol. The mouthfeel is medium in body. I taste a whole lot of lemon with some grassy hops, a moderate bitterness, alcohol, more citrus; sadly there’s a bit of a metallic flavour in the finish.

330ml Bottle: Aroma of pale malts, grassy, earthy hops, and light yeast. Poured gold in color with a small white head that lasted as a film on top of the beer. Very slightly hazy. Sparkling. Flavor is slightly sweet and lightly bitter. Tastes of pale malts, grains, grassy hops, slight yeast, and a hint of fruit. Light body. Lightly chalky texture. Average carbonation. Slightly sweet, lightly bitter, medium-dry finish. 9%ABV is well hidden.

Bottle from LCBO. Citrusy aroma with some dough, and barley. Tastes of orange peel, cinnamon, coriander and a tad bit of fennel. Intense frothy and white head requires a careful pour. Laces very well on the glass. A very well-made brew.

Bottle. Pours golden with short lived white head. Smell is fruity and floral with honeysuckle, yeast and light alcohol. Taste is watery with floral fruity, non-descript flavors and light alcohol. A bit sweet in the finish with a yeasty flavor. Not terrible, but not something I particularly care for.

Bottle at the Seventh Annual Richmond Beer Dig on 03/08/2009. Cloudy white body with a small off-white head. Sweet spice and faint caramel aroma. Sweet spice and caramel flavor with some belgian notes. Medium body with moderately high carbonation.

Pour is a cloudy yellow with a large white head. Aroma has some vanilla yeastyness but not much else. Flavor is a little creamy with some pepper and ass kicking alcohol finish. This does not hide the alcohol at all. It got a little better as it warmed with some fruitness coming through but this is no where near a good triple.

UPDATED: OCT 10, 2010 Clear blond coloured beer with large diminishing white hea and lots of carbonation visible. Full hopped and alcoholic aroma with soe herby notes. Full sparkling palate slightly creamy. Finish is sweet bitter more bitter bitterst with a bit too much alcohol taste and a very dry ending.